Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a semi-crystalline polymer and a chemically synthesized biodegradable polymer material that can be produced into completely biodegradable materials. It has attracted widespread attention in the industry because of its biocompatibility, structural stability and blending capabilities. Compared with other synthetic polymers, it is more stable, inert to biological tissues and has excellent mechanical properties.
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It can semi-crystallize to form a rubbery state at physiological temperatures, exhibit excellent rheological and viscoelastic properties, and can be used as shape memory polymer materials.
Many people suffer from facial deformities, either due to injury, surgery, or because they are born with gaps in their bone structure. Because these bone gaps are too wide for the body's normal healing mechanisms to repair, it is often difficult to restore a person's normal appearance using surgical procedures such as grafts or fillers. But now there's a new approach that uses a new sponge-like polymer as a scaffold to allow bone cells to regenerate themselves.
This bone foam is made from a polymer called polycaprolactone. PCL has been used in biomedical applications such as sutures and spacers that keep healing tissue separate.
Studies have shown that PCL has two outstanding characteristics: above 60 degrees Celsius, PCL is ductile; while at body temperature, PCL becomes hard and can degrade slowly and safely in the human body.
The researchers first heated the polymer in salt water until it became pliable, then molded it accurately to the shape of the missing bone. The polymer cooled and became hard. After the bone foam is placed in the body, bone cells will gradually form to replace the bone foam, and eventually the polymer will be absorbed and excreted from the body.
In the experiment, the researchers added another biodegradable polymer, polydopamine, to PCL to stimulate bone growth. Then they added human bone cells to the polymer. After a few days, the bone cells not only multiplied, but also produced very important bone-forming proteins.
If this technology can be used, it will give doctors a new way to treat facial deformities caused by injury, surgery, and birth defects. The most common method currently is to use bone harvested from somewhere like the hip and reshaped. However, this method is risky, as the bones are difficult to reshape and fit perfectly. Surgeons may also choose to use tin oxide or adhesive to close the gap, but this method results in brittle bones and no pores for the bone to regenerate itself.
